Hoping to poll you guys for some opinions on what goes in my garage. First off, I've extremely blessed to have the options that I do and am very thankful for a good paying job in this economy. My situation is relatively complex, on a temp work assignment in SoCal, primary residence is in Alaska where I will be returning in the next year or two (I'm back and forth now).

Our current stable includes my E90 M3 which I ordered new and picked up at the performance center, and my wife's GMC Acadia Denali that we picked up last year to serve as her daily driver and our Motorhome tow vehicle.

I'm typically all about change, and we've had both of these cars longer than I usually keep them. Love the M3, not a single complaint. Actually really enjoy the Acadia Denali, has more creature comforts than you might expect (HUD, Heated/Ventilated Seats, etc) and has massive cargo space that's perfect for our dog and all our baby stuff (we have an 8 month old little guy with plans to add more). We also use the 3rd row on occasion when we have family in town.

Here are the current options I'm considering:

1) Sell the M3, replace it with an M5, and keep the Denali as my wife's daily and our tow vehicle

- Benefits of this option are - I'd have an M5 in the garage. Also, we would maintain the dual purpose Denali for my wife and wouldn't need a 3rd cheap tow vehicle, plus it's already setup for towing.

2) Keep the M3, sell the Denali and replace it with an X5M. Add an inexpensive Wrangler to the fleet as a dedicated tow vehicle and beater.

- Benefits are - I'd have what BMW would consider to be the "Ultimate Garage". Regardless, if we are taking the M3 as a family (which we rarely do), or the X5M, it's going to be an exciting drive. Since we're in the SUV most of the time, we'd be spending more time in an exciting vehicle.

3) Don't do anything, keep the M3 and the Denali.

- Benefits, easy and we really have no complaints.

The underlying complication here is that when my assignment is up in CA, I'll be heading back up to Alaska. There's no way I can justify taking the M5 back to Alaska and have it sit idle through the winter. A little bit easier to justify taking the M3 but still a bit of a stretch, our road system is so limited having a luxury sports car just isn't very practical. Yes, I know practical is a funny word to bring up considering the options I listed above If I go with the M5, I'd need someone to assume the lease when I leave. I would plan to take the X5M back to Alaska and hang on to it for a while.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts. I'll post pictures of the end result. Here are a few of the current setup.

I voted for keeping the status quo as I'd question the X5M's usefulness in Alaskan winters; not sure how easy it would be to find a set of winter wheels & tires for the X5M and if the roads are bad, the X5M may be out of its element.

I voted for keeping the status quo as I'd question the X5M's usefulness in Alaskan winters; not sure how easy it would be to find a set of winter wheels & tires for the X5M and if the roads are bad, the X5M may be out of its element.

I was curious what most people do for winter setups on an X5M and found this, looks pretty damn good. It's a 5.0 but you get the idea, would probably drop down to a 275 or so in the rear with spacers. You're definitely not going to use 550hp but it'd be a fun way to run around in the winter. Plus, on the '13s they now offer Full LED lighting which would be the most valuable option for the Alaskan winters. I went by and thoroughly checked one out last night, unbelievable how bright those lights are and they're sexy too.

I was curious what most people do for winter setups on an X5M and found this, looks pretty damn good. You're definitely not going to use 550hp but it'd be a fun way to fun around in the winter. Plus, on the '13s they now offer Full LED lighting which would be the most valuable option for the Alaskan winters. I went by and thoroughly checked one out last night, unbelievable how bright those lights are and they're sexy too.

You've already stated that you can't justify the M5 in Alaska, so that option doesn't make a lot of sense. And you're happy with the Denali, so swapping it for an X5M doesn't make sense, since you don't know if you'll actually like it more than the Denali. So doing the X5M doesn't make sense either.

How about either keeping the status quo or swapping the M3 for something that is drivable in the winter? Not sure what area you are in or what the conditions are, but would an AWD sedan be workable in the winter? Audi S6?

Go with option 4, keep the M3 and Denali and buy an X5M. I see you track your M3, so an M5 wouldn't be a good track car. It's just way too heavy. Let your wife drive the X5M as a daily and ship the Denali up North as beater. The X5M has 6,000 towing capacity and you can put it to better use here in CA.

You've already stated that you can't justify the M5 in Alaska, so that option doesn't make a lot of sense. And you're happy with the Denali, so swapping it for an X5M doesn't make sense, since you don't know if you'll actually like it more than the Denali. So doing the X5M doesn't make sense either.

How about either keeping the status quo or swapping the M3 for something that is drivable in the winter? Not sure what area you are in or what the conditions are, but would an AWD sedan be workable in the winter? Audi S6?

I've considered ad RS5. Believe it or not there is one for sale at the Audi dealership in Anchorage right now and I drove it while I was up last week. Great car and my wife liked it, just not nearly as practical as my M3 sedan. We actually took the little guy with us to look at the car a second time, put his seat in the back and all. We "fit", but with my wife's seat all the way forward. It would work a little better once he moves to a forward facing car seat but the tough part about driving it (or any car that sits low) is the ground clearance when it snows a decent amount. I would have no problem driving the X5 anywhere all year with the right tires. Here's the link to the RS5 I checked out. Funny story, the guys wife made him return it after 1k miles, said the ride was too stiff. They're willing to work on the price, but Audi is only bringing 1500 of them to the US and this is 1 of 1 in Alaska so...

With at least one little human in the picture, I'd suggest 4 doors. The RS5 is definitely a great car (just saw one yesterday on the street), but maybe not the most practical choice right now. It's a shame Audi won't bring many of the RS models to the US. Still the S6 has a monster engine, so it would be similar to the M5, but with AWD.

Go with option 4, keep the M3 and Denali and buy an X5M. I see you track your M3, so an M5 wouldn't be a good track car. It's just way too heavy. Let your wife drive the X5M as a daily and ship the Denali up North as beater. The X5M has 6,000 towing capacity and you can put it to better use here in CA.

I've got a Land Cruiser up north currently serving as our Alaskan rig so I'm covered there.

With at least one little human in the picture, I'd suggest 4 doors. The RS5 is definitely a great car (just saw one yesterday on the street), but maybe not the most practical choice right now. It's a shame Audi won't bring many of the RS models to the US. Still the S6 has a monster engine, so it would be similar to the M5, but with AWD.

I agree. They could probably sell me an RS4 if they sold them here. Isn't the S8 the one with a monster engine? Too big for me if so.

With at least one little human in the picture, I'd suggest 4 doors. The RS5 is definitely a great car (just saw one yesterday on the street), but maybe not the most practical choice right now. It's a shame Audi won't bring many of the RS models to the US. Still the S6 has a monster engine, so it would be similar to the M5, but with AWD.

I have both an X5M and E90 M3 it's a great set up and I couldn't be happier.

I have M3 + V8 X5 with the new M performance package (tune + exhaust from factory). That X5 is an absolute monster, so much pull and one of meanest V8 exhaust I've heard stock. I read on the X5 boards that it sounds better than the X5M. Having already an M car I didn't see the need to have an M SUV, so I saved a lot of $ and still have a very fast X5. It's also not a problem to get an extra winter wheel+tire set for the X5.

I have M3 + V8 X5 with the new M performance package (tune + exhaust from factory). That X5 is an absolute monster, so much pull and one of meanest V8 exhaust I've heard stock. I read on the X5 boards that it sounds better than the X5M. Having already an M car I didn't see the need to have an M SUV, so I saved a lot of $ and still have a very fast X5. It's also not a problem to get an extra winter wheel+tire set for the X5.

I have M3 + V8 X5 with the new M performance package (tune + exhaust from factory). That X5 is an absolute monster, so much pull and one of meanest V8 exhaust I've heard stock. I read on the X5 boards that it sounds better than the X5M. Having already an M car I didn't see the need to have an M SUV, so I saved a lot of $ and still have a very fast X5. It's also not a problem to get an extra winter wheel+tire set for the X5.

+1. You'll have the M3 for your jollies-- does the wife really need an M?

Agree, good idea. The 5.0 with the M Pkg is definitely something to consider. Does my wife need an M?...no. Would I really enjoy driving the X5M when we take family trips, yes haha. It's a $20k bump though so you guys are probably right. I wish they offered the full LEDs on the 5.0, great option for the dark Alaskan winters.

Also, update. The wife has convinced me to hang on to the M3. I've turned down some solid offers for it over the past few months, I just can't let it go. Considering the attachment I have to it, having ordered it and done PCD, as well as the fact that it's one of the last of the sedans and only has 6800 miles, going to keep it around. Now to decide what to do for the family SUV.